Indian Mining Associates Private Limited, a consultant for Petrobangla, has started investigation work for assessing possibility of coal-bed methane (CBM) extraction at the Jamalganj Coal field in northern Bangladesh.
In June 2015, Petrobangla invited Expression of Interest (EOI) for consultancy services including drilling of three core wells, and for testing coal samples for feasibility study for extraction of CBM at Jamalganj Coal Field and for training services. Mining Associates Private Ltd. of India secured the work to be accomplished within 12 man-month period commencing from late July 2015. It has mobilised its consultants for Petrobangla and currently they have been reviewing the existing documents and information on the coal field.
The firm has delineated three sites for drilling wells at the Jamalganj coal field in Joypurhat district. The firm expects to commence drilling and sampling of coal from the drill wells in November this year. Once drilled and obtained coal samples, drill holes are to be geo-physically logged and coal samples to be analysed for understanding their chemical composition and methane gas content. Also the thickness of the coal seams, permeability and the roof and bed conditions for the coal seams are required to be tested to assess whether the Jamalganj coal field offers commercial possibility for extraction of Coal Bed Methane.
It may be mentioned that the Jamalganj coal field was discovered in 1962 under an UN-sponsored coal exploration programme. During that period 10 holes were drilled in the 11.7 km Jamalganj-Paharpur area. As reported, seven coal seams (with the cumulative thickness of 64 meters) within the range of 640 meters and 1158 meters depths were encountered during drilling and later it was estimated that the coal field has a total resource of 1053 million tonnes of coal. Jamalganj is considered the largest coal field among the discovered five fields in northern Bangladesh (in Joypurhat, Dinajpur and Rangpur districts). Available information suggests that Jamalganj coal is ranked as a high to medium volatile bituminous coal. During drilling there were some signs of gas flows in several wells at the field but assessment of gas content was not made.
A feasibility study for commercial development of coal mine at Jamalganj coal field was carried out by the German firm Fried Krupp Rohstafe which opined that Jamalganj coal field was technically feasible. Later, British firms Powell Duffryn Technical Services and Robertson Research International Ltd had the similar opinion. However, discovery of Barapukuria coal field in 1985 shifted the focus from Jamalganj.
With the changed circumstances and acquired knowledge for CBM development at the later stage, Jamalganj Coal field again attracted attention for getting the valuable fuel gas methane from coal without mining the coal from the ground. This was guided mainly by important factors like the thick coal seam presence (in access of 30 meters) there, burial depth of coal below 600 meters and a reserve of more than one billion tonnes of coal in the Jamalganj field. Generally, the coal seams with gas content more than 10 m3 per tonne and with a permeability (the ability of fluids to flow through rock or other porous media) at a rate of more than 1.5 md (milli Darcy) are considered good signs for developing CBM prospects in the coal field.
In the early 1990s, Petrobangla received a proposal for developing CBM from Jamalganj coal field from the BHP Minerals of India under foreign direct investment (FDI). Unfortunately, valuable time was lost by the then management and the initiatives yielded no result.
In the late 1990s, with the help of the British International Mining Consultants Ltd., potentials for CBM development in Jamalganj, Khalashpir and Barapukuria coal fields were assessed using the adsorption isotherm data for coal. In the process, it was concluded that among these three coal fields, Jamalganj coal field may very well be taken as a test case for coal bed methane development in Bangladesh. However, further study suggested to obtain specific data to assess gas contents of coal, permeability and other technical information for understanding the possibility of commercial development of the field for CBM productions.
Bangladesh needs to diversify its efforts to get primary energy, and the study for CBM development from Jamalganj coal field is one of its efforts to understand true potentials of the field for fuel gas supply. CBM is basically the unwanted methane gas present in coal seams which miners try to make free from the seam before mining to avoid dangerous accidents. At the same time, methane is a very active and serious pollutant greenhouse gas for atmosphere. Therefore, it brings benefit to all if the coal bed methane is extracted prior to the mining operation commences.
If the present study finds the Jamalganj coal field feasible for CBM development, the next phase of the study should determine, among others, the technology and sequence for coal bed methane extraction. To extract methane from the coal seam (90 per cent of which is stored in adsorbed form on the surfaces of coal), a number of drill holes (possibly with directional drillings) will be required to drill from the surface of the field to start pumping of water (coal bed is saturated with water) from the target coal seams. Pumping water from the coal seam will result in reducing pressures to help release methane from the adsorbed surfaces of coal and from the surrounding rocks. Once the methane is released from the coal surfaces, it starts escaping to the surface via the drilled wells. The methane produced from the coal field can conveniently be used as piped natural gas for our everyday use as 'clean fuel gas'.
Apart from technological challenges, safe disposal of huge water pumped from the coal field for helping release of methane from the underground coal seams is an environmental challenge for CBM producers. The mineral-rich water requires constant monitoring, storage and safe disposal to prevent environmental pollution. Also, there are challenges for working out legal framework for CBM extraction as Bangladesh is still to define whether CBM is to be extracted as natural gas or mineral. Subsequently, potential investment issues are to be resolved. But prior to addressing all these issues, Petrobangla should confirm first that Jamalganj really offers commercially viable reserve for coal-bed methane deposit.
The writer is a mining engineer and writes on energy and environment issues. mushfiq41@yahoo.com
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